First found in Picardy where the family has been seated since ancient times.

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: John Blondell settled in Maryland in 1716; Thomas Blondell settled in Boston, Massachusetts, in the same year; Joseph Blondeau settled in Louisiana in 1756.

THE BRETONS

The Bretons were originally from the ancient province of Brittany which lies in the northwestern peninsula of France. Formerly known as Armorica, a possession of the Roman Empire, this land consists of a plateau with a deeply indented coastline, and is broken by hills in the west. However, the region was renamed Britannia Minor by the Romans, following the emigration of six thousand Britons across the English Channel, an event which took place at the behest of the Roman commander in Britain.

ANCIENT BRITTANY

Ancient Brittany was inhabited by the Celtic Tribes of Veneti, Curiovolitae, and the Asismii in the 3rd century BC. At this time, Brittany was known as Armorica. It was the Romans that renamed the region Britannia Minor. However, the region's current name can primarily be attributed to the Roman General Maximus, who brought over 6,000 Britons under their leader Prince Conan, son of the King of Wales and Albany as he left Britain in the 4th century. Further immigrants from Wales and Cornwall occupied the region in the 5th and 6th region. From these people came Constantine, King of Brittany, who, it is said, was the grandfather of the celebrated King Arthur of England. The Celtic Breton language is still spoken today in the western reaches of the land.

CHARLEMAGNE

The greatest of the Frankish rulers, Charlemagne brought a new ideal of kingship to Europe that had a tremendous influence long after his own empire crumbled. The kingdom of the Franks was one of the most powerful of the barbarian kingdoms of the Dark Ages. Founded after the fall of the Roman Empire, it included much of modern-day France, Germany, and the Netherlands, along with all of Belgium and Switzerland. Shortly before his death in 768 AD, Pepin the Short divided his kingdom between his sons Charles and Carloman. However, Carloman died only three years afterward and left Charles as sole king of the Franks.

FILLES DE ROI

The filles du roi, or King's girls, were women who were recruited by the French Crown to populate New France. In the 16th century, the French colonies were populated almost exclusively by men. Initially, the French Crown selected orphan girls, but they later recruited young healthy girls. In the mid-17th century, French ships carried hundreds of these women, who were often not over the age of 16, to Quebec. The king even provided "dowries" to the women, which consisted of clothing and household supplies. The women usually chose their husbands within two weeks of their arrival in the New World.

ORIGIN OF FRENCH LANGUAGE

The French language was developed from the vernacular Latin of the Roman Empire, and is divided into three historic and linguistic periods: Old French, which developed before the 14th century; Middle French, which was used between the 14th and 16th centuries; and Modern French, which was used after the 16th century and continues to be in use today. During all of these periods, the French language was heavily influenced by other languages.

THE LANGEDOC REGION

The region of Languedoc was named after the dialect used in that region: Langue d'oc means the language that uses oc for yes. The major rival to this particular French dialect was the northern langue d'oïl, which means the language that uses oïl for yes. Languedoc as a region included the southeastern portion of the Massif Central, a plateau in the south of France, and ran from the province of Roussillon, in the west, to the Rhône River, forming the border with Provence, in the east. Toulouse was one of the most important counties in the region as it held the capital of the region, which was also called Toulouse.

NAPOLEON BONAPARTE

Following the chaos of the French Revolution, the nation of France was in dire need of a stable form of government which would continue the program of modernization begun by the revolutionaries. Ironically, the nation that had rose up against its absolute monarch was now in need of an autocratic ruler. The man destined to fulfill this role was Napoleon Bonaparte, (1769-1821) who ruled as first Consul after the coup d'état that thrust him to power in 1799, and as Emperor after 1804. His reign was an era of far-reaching social and political change for France. Education and local government were reorganized, the currency of France was stabilized, and a new legal system known as the Code Napoléon was instituted.

NORMANDY

In the 1st century BC, Normandy saw one of its first great invasions by the Romans. The area was an important part of the Holy Roman Empire until the 4th century. In the 9th century, the area received its name of Normandy after it was raided by the Vikings, or Norsemen, from whom it took its name.

THE FORMER PROVINCE OF ANJOU

The former province of Anjou encompassed the areas of southern Armorica, Indre-et-Loire, and Sarthe. Anjou's capital city was Angers. Today, the area once covered by the province is part of the Maine-et-Loire department.

THE AUVERGE REGION

THE FORMER PROVINCE OF CHAMPAGNE

Champagne is a former province of France, located in the northeast part of the country on the west bank of the River Meuse. Its main city is Troyes, and it is one of France's celebrated wine regions. In ancient times, the area was ruled by the Counts of Champagne.

THE FORMER REGION OF FOREZ

THE REGION OF GASCOGNE

The region of Gascogne in southwest France, known to Anglophones as Gascony, is bounded by the Bay of Biscay, the Garonne River, and the Pyrenees. During the Roman occupation, between the 1st century BC and 3rd century AD, Gascogne was ruled from neighboring Aquitaine. In 418, the Visigoths took the region, but under the leadership of Clovis, who conquered Alaric II in 507, it was reunited to the French kingdom. Gascogne was again conquered in the 5th century-this time by the Franks.

THE PROVINCE OF LIMOUSIN

The French province of Limousin was divided into three departments, Correze, Creuse, and Upper Vienne, with the capital being Lioges. Limousin corresponds to the ancient provinces of La Marche and Limousin together.

THE PROVINCE OF POITOU

The province of Gallic Poitou was a district of Aquitaine during the Roman occupation of northern Europe, from about 50 B.C.. The region was conquered by the Visigoths in the 5th century. The Franks overran the area in 507 and it was included in the duchy of Aquitaine in the 8th century. In the 8th century Charlemagne gave the kingdom of Aquitaine to his son Louis le Pieux. Louis passed this possession to Pepin 1st who held it from 838 to 848. From 848 to 855 it was ruled by Charles le Chauve. Charles l'enfant was ruler from 855 to 867. In 867 it was ruled by Louis II le Begue. In 879 Louis III passed the kingdom on to his brother Carloman and it was elevated to a Duchy. It returned to the house of Aquitaine in the 10th century and was established under the house of Poitou at its capital in Poitiers. Poiters had been Christianized in the 3rd century. It's first Bishop was St.Hilaire which became one of the religious places of Gaule.

THE SAVOIE REGION

Savoie in southeastern France corresponds to the provinces of La Savoie and of the Haute-Savoie (Upper Savoie). In the 4th century the term Sapaudia emerged which was translated as Savoie. In the 6th century the Franks invaded the region.

THE HUGUENOTS

The Huguenots, officially called the Hu-Gnosticorum began in the sixteenth century, where the word Huguenot came to designate French Calvinist Protestants, members of the Reformed Church established in France by John Calvin in about 1555. Calvin diverged from Catholic doctrine in the rejection of papal authority and in the individual's right to interpret scriptures; thus placing the Huguenots in conflict with both the Catholic Church and the King of France.